Fuel vaporizer



May 10, 1927. 7, 7

W. E. SHORE FUEL VAPORI ZER Filed Feb. 8. 1924 Inventor. W444 33/6 223 S Ova/19 Patented May 10,. I927.

PATENT OFFICE.I

WILLIAM E. SHORE, OF STATEN ISLAND, NEW YORK.

FUEL VAPOBIZEB.

' Application filed February 8, 1924. Serial No. 891,502.

The principal objects of this invention are, to enable the use of low grade fuels in the operation of internal'combustion engines operating with a controlled ignition, utiliz; ing mercury as the heat transferring medium to transmit the heat generated in the combustion of the fuel to the vaporizing of the fuel oil without carbonizing the fuel oil.

A further and important object is to provide a compact structure which will be easily controlled.

The principal feature of the invention consists in the novel arrangement of a heat conducting fluid chamber adapted toabsorb the heat of the engine exhaust and to disburse the heat to the fuel in such a manner as to vaporize same to a condition for ignition combustion, the heat transferring medium being contained in a closed cycle and adapted to be sustained in continuous operation.

The drawing is a sectional diagram illustrating the application of this invention.

In this diagram 1 designates the cylinder of an internal combustion e gine having an exhaust manifold 2. formed with a surface 3 of considerable area against which the exhaust gases impinge.

Themanifold is constructed with a hollow wall at the outside of the surface 3 forming a chamber 4 which contains a quantity of fluid mercury. The mercury has the quality of absorbing heat very readily and as its vaporizing temperature is extremely high it may be utilized very successfully in the transference of heat.

A pipe 5 leads from the top of the chamher 4 to a coil 6 and a pipe 7 leads from the bottom of the coil 6 back to the bottom of the mercury chamber, thus forming a closed circuit in which the mercury may circulate.

An expansion chamber 8 in the form of a corrugated tubular structure is connected with the upper end of the coil 6 and extends to a higher level than the top of the chamber 4. This expansion chamber accommodates any mercury vapor produced and connected with the to of the expansion chamber is a tube 9 leading to a coil 10 whose terminus connects with the return pipe 7 so that the vapors not condensed in the expansion chamber 8 will be condensed in the coil 10 and be returned to the circuit.

A cylindrical casing 11 encloses the coil openings.

Tapered valve seats are formed at the inner sides of'the openings 15 and 16 and a double conical valve 19 is arranged in the valve chamber and adapted to seat on either of said valve seats.

A float 20 is pivotally mounted in the lateral portion of the casing 11 and is pivotally connected to the stem 21 of the valve 19 The fuel is fed to the valve chamber through the feed pipe 18 from a suitable pump, here shown as a gear pump 22 arranged within a casin 23. This casing is provided with a cham or 24 having an inlet 24 connected to a suitable fuel suppl and to which the return pipe 17 is connected:

An air conduit 25 encircles the coil 10 and leads to the intake manifold of the engine. The air in passage absorbs the heat from the mercury vapor condensing same to the pipe 7. The heat of the engine exhaust is absorbed by the mercury in the chamber 4 which circulates through the coil 6 and the heat from said circulating medium and any vapors produced therein is absorbed by the fuel oil contained in the casing 11 and the fuel is vaporized thereby.

The fuel vapor passes to a regulator 26 and from thence through a pipe 27 to the carbureter intake chamber 28. Any surplus vapor is directed from the regulator 26 to a condensing coil 29 arranged in an air conduit 30 leading to the conduit 25.

The lower end of the coil is connected by a pipe 31 to a condensing trap 32 which in turn is connected with the return pipe 17 from the valve chamber 16.

The carbureter casing 33 extends below the air conduit 30 and is provided with the chamber 28 to which the pipe 27 leads.

A tube 35 leads upwardly from the chamber 28 and is provided with a plurality of so that slots 36 preferably spirally arranged and A tube 38 slidably encircles the tube and is'operated from the top to move up and down by means of a slotted bell crank 39 the actual port area discharging the fuel vapor into the air passage-may be regulated as desired.

An auxiliary air valve 40 is arranged above the vertical passage 37 and opposite the horizontal discharge passage 41. This discharge is directly connected to the intake manifold of the engine.

Theoperation of the device is extremely simple and requires no attention, working automatically. For starting purposes an electric immersion heater 42 is arranged in the mercury chamber 4 to heat the mercury suflicient to commence vaporization of the oil, or the engine may be started with a light fuel, such as gasoline. The exhaust gases from the engine impinging against the surface of the mercury chamber 4 heat the mercury and circulate it to the coil 6 and expansion chamber 7 where the heat conveyed thereby is given up to the fuel oil.

The mercury, being a metal it forms a very effective absorbent of the heat of the exhaust gases and as it does not vaporize under 600 F. that temperature will be carried through the circulating coil and even if the heat in the circulating mercury does exceed the liquid state and cause it to vaporize, the vapor will either in the expansion chambers 8 or in the coil 10, where it is brought intocontact with the cold air being drawn in to the intake leading to the carbureter.

The vaporized oil passes from the vaporizing chamber through the pipe 27 to the carbureter and is distributed through the slotted tube 35 into the air flowing through the air conduit, which air is preheated by contact' with the coils 29 and 10.

The arrangement of the discharge tube 35 centrally in the air passage is such as to ensure a thorough mixing of the air and vapor and the two become so com letely associated that further air may e added through the manipulation of the air valve 40 according to the requirements of the enme. g By manipulating the control tube 38 in respect to the discharge slots in the tube 35 and also manipulating the air valve 40, almost any desirable condition of combustible gas can be produced. 7

The level of oil in the chamber 11 is regulated by the float valve 19 which stops the flow into said chamber but does not interfere with the pump circulation, the oil flow ing into the valve chamber 13 through the feed pipe 18 and out of said chamber through the circulation pipe 17 when the be quickly condensed,

float is raised but when the float is lowered the circulating pipe will be temporarily closed and the flow of oil will pass into the casing 11.

The oil is being continuously heated in the chamber 11 by the heat of the mercury coil 6 and the expansion member 8 and is continuously forming a combustible vapor which passes into the regulator'26 and on through the pipe 27 to the carburetor.

The pump for circulating the oil is here shown as a simple form of gear pump operated directly from the engine but of course any other means of circulating the oil may be utilized.

The structure herein shown is entirely diagrammatic and many variations may be made in theactual construction of the various parts herein shown without departing from the spirit of the invention, which is to utilize the heat of the exhaust by absorbing same by a circulating fluid of low volatility and conducting the circulating fluid through conduits immersed in the fuel oil to raise the temperature of the fuel oil to create a vapor.

What I claim as my invention is 1. Ina fuel vaporizer, the combination with an engine exhaust having a chamber manifold adapted to contain aheat absorbing fluid, of a closed fuel chamber, a hollow heat distributing member arranged within said fuel chamber and connected with said fluid chamber and adapted to circulate said heat absorbing fluid in a closed cycle, a carburetor having an air intake, means for feeding the vapor produced in the fuel chamber to said carbureter, and means for maintaining a supply of fuel in the fuel 1 chamber at a predetermined level.

2. In a'fuel vaporizer, the combination with an internal combustion-engine, of a closed fuel chamber, a pump operated by the engine and supplying fuel to said chamber, a return pipe from said fuel chamber to the ump, 'means governed by the level of the uel in said closed chamber for byassing in a closed cycle the fuel flowing from said pump when the fuel in" said closed chamber reaches a predetermined level, a heat distributing coil arranged in saidfuel chamber, and means extending into the path of the engine exhaust for circulating a heating medium through said heat distributing coil.

3. A fuel vaporizer, comprising the com-' bination with an internal combustion engine, of a closed fuel chamber having a valve chamber connected therewith provided with an inlet opening and an outlet leading 'to the fuel chamber and an outlet leading a valve operating in said valve chamber and adapted to close either of said outlets, a float in the fuel chamber connected with said valve, a conduit leading from the top of said fuel. chamber to conduct the vapors therefrom, a heater arranged in the fuel chamber, means for circulating a heating medium through said heater, and means for mixing air with said vapor.

4. A fuel vaporizer, comprising in com bination with an internal combustion engine, a closed fuel chamber, a heater coil arranged in said fuel chamber having an inlet at the top and an outlet at the bottom, a fluid heater connecting said inlet and outlet and forming a closed circuit for the heating fluid, an expansion chamber arranged in the fuel chamber and connected with said closed circuit, a pipe leading from the of the expansion chamber to the return section of the closed circuit, means for conducting the vapor from the fuel chamber, and means for aerating said vapor.

5. A fuel vaporizer, comprising in combination with an internal combustion engine, a closed fuel chamber, a heater coil arranged in said fuel chamber having an inlet at the top and an outlet at the bottom, a fluid heater connecting said inlet and outlet and forming a closed circuit for the heating fluid, an expansion chamber arranged in the fuel chamber and connected with said closed circuit, a pipe leading from the top of the expansion chamber to the return section of the closed circuit, a condenser coil arranged in the latter pipe, an air conduit surrounding said condenser coil, and a vapor dispensing member connected with the chamber and extending into said air conduit. 6. A fuel vaporizer, comprising, in combination with an internal combustion en-- gine, a closed fuel chamber, a heater coil arranged in said fuel chamber having an inlet at the top and an outlet at the bottom, a fluid heater connecting said inlet and outlet and forming a closed circuit for the heatin" in the fuel chamber and connected with said closed circuit, a pipe leading from the top of the expansion chamber to the return section of the closed-circuit, a condenser coil arranged in the latter pipe, an air conduit surrounding said condenser coil, means for conducting the vapor from said fuel chamber, means for regulating the volume of said vapor, a condenser connected with said regulatlng means and arranged in the air conduit and connected with the return of the fuel circulating means, and means for dispensing the vapor into said air conduit.

WILLIAM E. SHORE.

fluid, an expansion chamber arranged 

